Ghost Detective Records

Chapter 70

Volume Three: Delicacies of Hell, Chapter One: Old Friends

Volume Three: Delicacies of Hell, Chapter One: Old Friends

I sat in the corner of the bar, swirling my glass of liquor. The golden liquid shimmered like molten gold, and its intense, burning sensation on the throat burned all the way down to my stomach. This drink truly lived up to its name: Golden Flame.

Looking around at the men and women lost in alcohol and music, everyone seemed quite drunk. I took another sip of my drink. I was currently in the Black Forest Bar, but my real purpose wasn't to drink. I wanted to find Tian Niang, and my only goal was to become her apprentice! This was the first thing I wanted to do after being discharged from the hospital; perhaps Li Hai's death had affected me too much! Unfortunately, the bar waiter told me that the owner had gone somewhere else and might not be back for two or three months. Hearing this, my initial enthusiasm for becoming her apprentice was instantly nipped in the bud! Helpless, I could only order a drink.

"Hey, do you know that guy? He seems to have been staring at you ever since!" The bartender, a very handsome young man, gestured towards me and asked.

"Who is it?" I looked in the direction the bartender was pointing, and saw a man staring straight at me not far away. But the light was too dim, and I couldn't see his face clearly. I could only see a pair of fierce eyes, like a wolf or a tiger.

"I don't think I recognize him," I replied, but then I saw the man slowly walking towards me. As he drew closer, a figure from my memory gradually surfaced in my mind. But the man in my memory was so refined and gentle, while the man before me, apart from a slight resemblance in facial features, was completely unrecognizable. Stubble, sunken eyes, a messy head of hair, and unkempt, even slovenly, clothes—there was simply no way I could equate the two people.

"Lin Xiao?" The man stepped forward and called my name, his voice hoarse and almost groaning.

"You are...? Yu Bo?" I couldn't see my own expression, but I imagine it must have been incredibly awkward.

"Yes!" Yu Bo gave a wry smile and said, "You probably wouldn't recognize me, would you?"

"What happened to you?" I was extremely surprised. Yu Bo was one of my few friends in college, my senior, and also my senior in Taekwondo. I remember when we first met, I was just a freshman repeating my senior year of college, extremely depressed because of Yin Xue's situation. I hardly spoke and didn't get along well with my classmates. I had almost no friends and always kept to myself. But that day, when various clubs were recruiting new members, he, as the president of the Taekwondo club, grabbed me and I inexplicably joined. In my mind, he was always a good senior who everyone could confide in, and a good senior who could guide everyone in Taekwondo. Don't let his refined appearance and gold-rimmed glasses fool you; he was exceptionally skilled in Taekwondo.

"Are you free? I'd like to talk to you alone!" Although it was a question, Yu Bo had already pulled me up from my seat and dragged me toward the restroom.

As he entered the restroom, which was empty, Yu Bo stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself and me in the reflection. After a while, he turned around and asked me very seriously, "Do you believe in the existence of ghosts?"

"I believe you!" I answered almost without thinking, a response so swift that it startled Yu Bo.

"You believe that? Forensic medicine is all about science!" Yu Bo said.

"Science is science, and ghosts are ghosts!" I said. "Who says these two things can't coexist?"

"Hehe, you've changed a lot!" Yu Bo looked at me with a sigh and said, "You didn't believe me before."

"People change." I shrugged helplessly.

"Really?" Yu Bo sighed and said, "Then I think you should be able to see it!"

"What can you see?" I asked, puzzled.

Yu Bo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a bulging envelope from the backpack on his shoulder, handed it to me, and said, "This is a roll of photographs."

I took the envelope and opened it. It was a photo Yu Bo had taken before graduation, a keepsake for everyone! The photo featured mostly me, Yu Bo, Bai Yun, and our Taekwondo instructor, who was also our philosophy teacher, Zhao Xing! Sadly, Bai Yun is now gone, and even her killer remains a mystery. Zhao Xing also disappeared suddenly six months later, vanishing without a trace, as if he had evaporated into thin air.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?!" I showed these photos to everyone back then, and I still have a few at home!

"These are the photos that were first printed back then, and I've kept them all this time! About six months ago, I found them again while organizing my photo album. Unexpectedly, one of the photos was smudged by ink I spilled, so I wanted to find the smudged photo from the negatives in this roll of photos and reprint it. But guess what I saw?" Yu Bo's voice began to tremble. Was he afraid?

"What's wrong with the negatives?" I pulled the roll of negatives out of the envelope and held it up to the light. When the images on the negatives came into view, I couldn't help but gasp! A person should have one head, two hands, and two feet! But everyone on the negatives except me somehow had an extra organ. Some had half a head next to their head, some had two hands behind their back, and some even had four feet! Looking closer, I realized that Zhao Xing's face on every negative was blurry, as if veiled. And Bai Yun's face was practically a skull!

"How could this happen? Are you sure it's the original roll of film?" I asked.

“Definitely! After I developed the photos, I stored them together and never touched them again! And I don’t think anyone had the chance to switch the negatives or tamper with them!” Yu Bo shook his head and answered.

"Did you get it reprinted?" I asked again.

"Yes!" Yu Bo nodded, staring blankly at me, and said, "Unfortunately, they were all exposed; not a single one could be printed!"

"Did you try a few more times?" I asked, unwilling to give up.

"Yes!" Yu Bo nodded wearily, then buried his face in his hands, scratched his messy hair, and said, "I tried countless places, and they all said the exposure was unacceptable for printing! But I didn't give up, so I tried one by one, almost every photo lab! Later, I finally found a friend who was very knowledgeable about photography, and I took this roll of negatives to him hoping he could find a way to print it!"

"What was the result?" I asked anxiously.

"It's very strange!" Yu Bo looked at me with a strange expression and said, "My friend said that judging from the negatives alone, they should be well preserved and there's no possibility of exposure, but we just can't get them developed!"

“That’s strange!” I said.

“But that’s not all!” Yu Bo took a deep breath and said, “When I showed it to my friend, I was worried that it would scare him, but he didn’t show any confusion or surprise at all. I found it very strange at the time. Normally, a normal person should have a reaction when they see such a strange negative! Later, I tentatively asked him what he saw on the negative?”

"Did he say everything is normal?" I guessed.

“That’s right! He couldn’t see the extra heads and limbs at all! In his eyes, it was just an ordinary negative.” Yu Bo replied.

Can't see them? I frowned. Could it be that only Yu Bo and I could see these extra things? Were these things unclean? The thought sent chills down my spine. Although I'd seen photos of ghosts online before, I'd always assumed they were digitally manipulated. But today, it seemed like there really was a ghost!

"Later, I searched online for information about similar cases and found that there was a photo that had been developed where a girl had an extra pair of hands! And it is said that the girl's younger brother had just passed away a few months ago, and the extra hands in the photo that appeared behind the little girl were her brother's hands!" Yu Bo seemed to become more and more panicked as he spoke, and his eyes were very flustered. I had never seen Yu Bo so uneasy.

"You can't believe everything you read online!" I checked my watch; it was 9:30 PM. "How about this," I said, "I'll take you to see someone. Maybe she can help you explain the situation with this negative!"

"Who is it? Can she see?" Yu Bo asked worriedly.

"It should be fine!" I said as I left the Black Forest Bar with Yu Bo. I didn't expect to run into Yu Bo instead of finding Tian Niang!

I started the car, and with the engine roaring, I drove Yu Bo away from the Black Forest Bar, disappearing into the night. There weren't many pedestrians on the street, just a few walking sparsely under the dim streetlights. Yu Bo began to recount his experiences of the past six months: in order to develop the negatives and find the answer to the film's anomalies, he had visited almost every film processing shop in the city and consulted every photographer he knew, but none of them could develop them. No one could see the strange things on the negatives, and therefore no one believed what Yu Bo said! Eventually, almost everyone at the film processing shops knew Yu Bo and thought he was crazy! Because of this, Yu Bo even lost his job! Later, Yu Bo started searching for information online and also consulted some charlatans. But he still couldn't find a conclusion!

“This isn’t a solution, look at the way you are now!” I complained to him.

“I know!” Yu Bo said helplessly, “I also want to burn this roll of negatives, out of sight, out of mind! But I can’t bring myself to do it every time. And as soon as I close my eyes, the things on those negatives seem to come alive, they move, and they even reach out from the negatives to strangle me! It’s like… it’s like something has already found me, making me unable to stop!”

"Then how did you end up here?" I asked with concern.

“I wonder if others can’t see it because it’s not the person in the photo? That’s why I thought of you and Baiyun. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to contact Baiyun, and I only know that you work as a forensic doctor here, but I don’t know your specific address or contact information!” Yu Bo replied.

"Oh, really?" I replied, feigning indifference. Baiyun? My heart sank at the mere mention of her. This once spirited woman, this woman who had graced my life, this woman who loved me deeply, is now gone to another world! Human life is truly unpredictable; an unexpected birth and an unexpected departure to another unpredictable world. Perhaps there is much unpredictability inherent in humanity itself!

I drove in silence, and Yu Bo didn't say anything more either, making the car feel heavy. I carefully watched the road; just one more turn and I'd be at Fang Lei's house. I figured she could probably explain what happened on that strange film!

"Stop the car!" Yu Bo suddenly yelled without warning, which startled me. My foot had already slammed on the brakes involuntarily!

"Screech~~~!" Before the ear-piercing sound of tires screeching against the ground had faded, Yu Bo had already opened the car door and jumped out.

"What are you doing?" I tried to call out to him.

"Teacher, I just saw you!" Yu Bo ran into an alleyway on the street without looking back.

Teacher? Could it be Zhao Xing, who has been missing for many years? I was so excited that I wanted to follow him, but the honking of the car horn behind me told me that I was in the middle of the road, and there were several cars behind me! Helpless, I had to pull over and lock the car. After I finished doing all that, I tried to find Yu Bo, but I couldn't find him anywhere!

Volume 3: Delicacies of Hell, Chapter 2 begins

Volume 3: Delicacies of Hell, Chapter 2 begins

"You're back so late?" Fang Lei opened the door and asked with concern, looking at my tired face.

"Ugh, don't even mention it!" I kept yawning from exhaustion. I had spent over two hours searching that neighborhood for Yu Bo, who had jumped off the bus before me, but he had vanished like a stone sinking into the sea. Looking at the increasingly empty street, I felt that my encounter with Yu Bo tonight was like a dream.

Fang Lei served me tea and water like a welcoming wife greets her husband returning home late. I loosened the buttons on my shirt; the feeling of home made me relax a lot. Yes, Fang Lei and I were now living together, but not in the true sense of cohabitation, as we still slept in separate rooms. This was mainly because Fang Lei was worried about me being alone at home after being discharged from the hospital.

"By the way, have you been able to contact your sister?" Fang Lei asked.

"No!" I shook my head. Speaking of my older sister, I felt helpless. She hadn't come to see me for over three weeks while I was hospitalized. When I excitedly returned home, I found a note she had left saying she'd gone out to find inspiration. Actually, finding inspiration was a lie; she really was going on a trip!

"Fang Lei, have you ever seen a strange type of film negative where the people on it have extra hands and feet or something?" I asked, taking a sip of water.

"You're probably talking about ghost photos!" Fang Lei sat down next to me, her long, slender, white legs peeking out from under her super-short nightgown. Her delicate ankles were so small they could be encircled with one hand, and her petite feet drew my gaze. Although she was only wearing very casual pajamas, even somewhat cartoonish ones, what kind of alluring body was hidden within those loose garments? Especially when she sat down, the nightgown seemed even shorter, barely reaching the top of her thighs, which really made my mind wander.

"Oh, I'm talking to you!" Fang Lei playfully pinched me, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

"Look at you!" I replied somewhat shamelessly, my eyes still fixed on her snow-white thighs. Since I couldn't have her, looking at her was fine too!

"Stop messing around!" Fang Lei glared at me irritably.

"Hehe, no kidding!" I chuckled and shrugged, while one hand had already quietly slipped onto her shoulder from behind. 5555~~~~! God forgive my lust!

"What kind of weird photo did you just say?" I looked at Fang Lei with satisfaction, who had only made a token struggle, and my fingers were already playing with her incredibly soft hair.

"Simply put, a ghost photo is a picture of someone possessed by a ghost, which can vaguely show the ghost's appearance. However, the chances of this happening are generally not high, because ghosts are actually a kind of wave frequency particle, and it is difficult to capture them with an ordinary camera! Unless the person taking the photo has a very strong yin energy, it is easy to attract nearby ghosts to gather around," Fang Lei explained.

"Oh, I see! Is it possible that the film couldn't show the ghost at first, but it appeared after a while, and not everyone could see the ghost?" I continued to ask.

"I don't know if it will reappear after a while, but some ghost photos are definitely not visible to everyone!" Fang Lei replied, "Why are you asking this?"

"Oh, is that so!" I paused for a moment, then told Fang Lei everything from going to the Black Forest Bar to running into Yu Bo and those photos.

"It's a pity that our Emei sect has never accepted men, otherwise I would have taken you as my disciple with my master, and you wouldn't have had to run to Tian Niang's place!" Fang Lei pouted, her words carrying a hint of sourness.

"Jealous?" I smiled and ran my finger across her smooth face.

"No way, don't be so conceited!" Fang Lei slapped away my restless fingers and said.

"Do you know why I'm only now agreeing to become Tian Niang's disciple?" My hands, which had been pushed away, continued their persistent assault on her neck.

"Because of Li Hai?" Fang Lei asked with a hint of sadness.

"Half of it is because of him," I said slowly. "The other half is because of someone else, Zhao Xing, who was my philosophy teacher in college and also my taekwondo master! For me, no one can replace him. Even though he has been missing for several years!"

"Missing? There's been no news of him? Then why did your senior brother Yu Bo say he saw him just now?" Fang Lei asked curiously.

"Yes, that's why I spent over two hours looking for them!" I said, while moving closer to Fang Lei. Her faint scent, like the fragrance of shower gel mixed with the unique body odor of a virgin, created an alluring aroma that made me want to come closer.

“I think it’s probably because the place where Yu Bo stored those negatives had too much yin energy, which is why ghosts slowly possessed the negatives!” Fang Lei said. My nose was already touching her vanilla-scented hair, which felt itchy, and my lower abdomen also started to itch.

"Are you even listening? Ugh!" Fang Lei probably noticed my distraction and turned her head slightly angrily, only to have me suddenly cover her lips with mine—of course, I used my own mouth to cover hers!

"Mmm~~!" Fang Lei moaned, her small hands gently tapping my chest, but this resistance only made me hold her tighter. Our wet lips intertwined, and I tried to pry them open, sweeping my tongue into her mouth, successfully entwining it with her sweet tongue. One hand couldn't resist reaching under her pajamas; her silky smooth thighs felt warm to the touch, and an electric current immediately surged through my hand as I felt her legs instinctively tighten.

"Ugh... Xiao~!" Fang Lei moaned in my arms, while my tongue licked her earlobe and continued to probe deeper into her ear, eliciting a soft gasp from the beauty in my arms. My hand, which had been caressing her thigh, was no longer satisfied and slowly moved upwards, but unfortunately, part of her nightgown was pulled up by her sitting up, preventing my hand from reaching all the way up. I gently lifted Fang Lei's body up a little, and her soft, limp body obediently raised her pert buttocks. I immediately lifted her nightgown up to her waist, revealing her conservative yet absolutely stimulating white lace panties.

"Ah~~!" Fang Lei was startled by the change in her pajamas. She tried to reach out, but I pushed her onto the sofa. My big hand successfully grabbed her breast and I immediately felt a hard little protrusion brush against my palm.

"No~~ no!" Fang Lei pushed me in a panic.

"You...you don't want to?" Seeing the panic in her eyes, I stopped, feeling a little reluctant.

"Don't...don't be so fast, besides, you...just got discharged from the hospital!" Fang Lei said breathlessly.

"I... Ugh!" I sighed reluctantly. Although I really wanted to prove that I was completely recovered, I didn't want to force her, so I slowly sat up straight. As my hand was about to slip out of her pajamas, I still used my fingernail to scratch the small protrusion on her chest as a form of punishment.

"Oh~~!" The beauty gasped at my actions, and her heaving breasts and seductive eyes almost made me pounce on her again.

Watching Fang Lei frantically straighten her pajamas, I couldn't help but laugh. I took her hand and said, "Don't worry, I won't force you!"

"Silly boy! What's meant to be yours will always be yours!" Fang Lei said softly, then suddenly planted a quick kiss on my lips. Although it wasn't as deep as the previous kiss, it had a unique flavor. Then, Fang Lei pulled me up from the sofa and said, "It's late, go to sleep. You have to go to work tomorrow!"

"Okay!" I nodded obediently, gave Fang Lei a goodnight kiss, and then we each went back to our rooms.

*********

On my way to work the next day, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't given Yu Bo my contact information the night before. It seems I can only go to the Black Forest Bar again tonight to see if I can run into him again!

Thinking about Yu Bo and the ghost photos all the way, I arrived at the station in no time, where Li Yang was the one who greeted me.